Clone Wars Headcanon: Rex Seeing Fox Die

Parched

Gonna write a scene or two for my idea of some clones as vampires because it's in my head and I'm gonna consider it writing practice. Enjoy:

"Rex, you alright?" Rex blinks at Anakin. He's been awake for way too long and he wants nothing more than for this report to be over so he can rest, because that mission was long and slow and he's as exhausted as he is thirsty and this delay is not helping. "Just a little thirsty sir." General Skywalker nods and turns back to the holotable. Cody glances at Rex and subtly taps his wrist. Rex nods. Thankfully the meeting ends shortly after and Cody all but literally drags Rex away. "Really Cody-" "Shut up." Cody replies absently, pushing Rex into his room and following him inside. "How are you and the rest holding up outside of missions?" Rex rolls his eyes. "Mother hen. We're fine. It's the one ration we don't have to really worry about being short of." He finishes taking his armor off, frowns, and says "I could really uses a fresher. I smell terrible." "Drink first. I'm not having you fall over from thirst." Cody sits on the bunk, holding out a raised wrist. Rex rolls his eyes, muttering "mother hen" again, but he sits and takes Cody's wrist so that he can sink his teeth into the delicate veins. Cody barely winces at the bite and watches some of the tension ease out of his little brother's shoulders as Rex drinks, and lifts his other hand to gently run it over Rex's head. "I've got you Rex." Rex hums, gently pulling his teeth from skin to take a breath before sinking back. Cody leans against the wall and lets his brother drink his blood while he turns over the previous mission in his mind, trying to process the reports he'll need to make. When Rex is finished he leans against Cody's shoulder, stealing the small tube of bacta to put it over the tiny marks. "Thanks Cody." "No problem. Come on. You really do need that fresher." "Like you're any better."

Rex, trying to give a motivational speech but then it evolved into him casualty talking about his really really fucked up cadethood:

“-I mean yeah all the other kids bullied me, hated me even, and no one liked me or even came near me. Come to think of it I did get shuffled around a lot, but that’s just because my entire original batch was decommissioned. And yeah I did have a lot of near death experiences, but I only needed to be resuscitated a handful of times. Ha, there was that one time a trainer threw me off a platform because they were sick of dealing with all my paperwork, but I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and hauled myself out of the ocean. You know what they say; you want something done you gotta do it yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you! I think I came out the other side just fine and I’m stronger because of it! :)”

The entire 501st: “…whAT THE FUUUUUCK!”

Rex aaaand uh. A dog

This is such a galaxy brained prompt, thank you for this! The dog in this is based off of an Australian shepherd, by the way :)

——————

To say Rex was tired would be an understatement. He’d been traveling nonstop the past few weeks in an effort to avoid catching anyone’s attention. If he stayed in one place for too long, someone was bound to notice that he looked a little familiar, and they’d call the authorities. He had to keep moving. Such was the life of someone in the run from the Empire.

The war hadn’t been over for too long. Rex watched his men die in a crash, helpless to do anything to help them. They had been prisoners of their own minds, though, and in a backwards sort of way, Rex was glad they were dead. Anything was better than being turned into mindless droids.

Not long after that crash, Rex split up with Ahsoka, knowing that they’d be safer apart. She’d given him contact information to people she thought could help, and Rex busied himself trying to take down the Empire before it could sink its poisonous claws into every part of the galaxy.

This is how Rex found himself traveling alone. Truly and utterly alone.

He hated being alone; the clones were never meant to be without each other, and yet here he was. Sure, he ran into the Bad Batch at one point (traveling with a child, and wasn’t that a sight to behold), but he couldn’t stay with them for long. He helped them get rid of their chips and then went on his way, back to his lonesome travels.

He refused to let it bother him, though. He buried himself in his work against the Empire, hoping that that might distract him from his situation, and it worked sometimes. Still, his own thoughts would often betray him, and he still often turned to speak to people who were no longer with him. It was a tough habit to break.

Rex only stopped on Dantooine to get food and refuel his ship. He didn’t intend to stay for long. He’d be in and out within a couple of hours. Surely that wasn’t enough time for anyone to notice his presence.

It didn’t take long for him to realize that he was being followed on his way through the market. He cursed his luck and the fact that he’d jinxed himself by telling himself he wouldn’t be noticed before slipping into an alleyway, intent on taking out whoever had been tailing him.

He leaned against the wall and slowly took out his blaster, crouching behind a trash can. He heard footsteps approaching nearer to his position. His muscles tensed before he took a deep breath and jumped out of his hiding place, blaster pointed at the owner of the footsteps…

… and the owner was a dog. Rex huffed a sigh and put his blaster back in his holster. The dog had not been startled at all by Rex’s actions, its stub for a tail wiggling so much that its whole behind was shaking. Its tongue lolled out of its mouth as it looked up at Rex with mismatched eyes, one brown and the other so light a shade of blue that it was nearly white.

Rex hesitated, unsure of what to do next. He knelt down on his knees to get closer to the dog’s level, his movements slow so that the dog wouldn’t suddenly lash out at him. The dog sat down and held up one of its paws. Not knowing what else to do, Rex took it and shook it like he would shake hands with another human being. The dog then took that as an invitation to get close to Rex, as it curled up and pressed its body against him. Rex relaxed further and began scratching its back, causing the dog to lean further into him.

“Thanks, bud.” Rex muttered, smiling. He was then mortified to realize that he was nearly crying at this simple display of affection from a dog. The dog seemed to sense his emotions, as it turned and began licking his face before the tears could even fall, causing Rex to laugh.

“Okay, okay, thank you. I’ve got to go now, okay?” Rex said, standing up. He began to leave the alleyway, stopping short when he realized the dog was following him.

“You can’t come with me.” He said with a sigh. The dog merely wagged its stub and practically grinned up at him.

“I don’t have a way to take care of a dog, and I travel a lot in my tiny ship. You really wouldn’t like it.” Rex continued as he walked out of the alley. The dog walked beside him to his right.

Rex really couldn’t keep a dog. His lifestyle was not a good way for a dog to live. Besides, this one probably belonged to someone… but, it did look pretty skinny. Maybe it didn’t have anyone, just like Rex. Maybe it was just as alone as him.

Rex sighed, eyeing a veterinarian’s office down the road. He stopped and looked down at the dog at his side.

“Okay. Maybe you can come with me.”

The dog barked and wagged its stub. Rex smiled for the first time in months.

Sneak peek at the next thing on my to-do list

Shortly after the mission to the Citadel, Rex, Fives, and Jesse stumble across an artifact that permanently changes Rex. With his newfound abilities, he must navigate the war as it draws to a close...

There was a stone in his boot. Rex glared down at his feet as if that would make the stone leave, but it was still irritatingly there. It was small, of course, just barely big enough for him to feel it, but it was right on the arch of his foot, where it was most tender. Chalking up a blister before it even formed, he sighed, readjusting his hold on his blaster pistols. Jesse looked over at him. “Chin up, Captain, just because we haven’t found anything yet doesn’t mean there’s nothing to find.” “I think we’re supposed to want there to be nothing to find,” Fives grumbled, kicking a clump of grass as the walked through the narrow canyon that led out toward the grasslands from the small abandoned settlement the rest of the 501st had set up camp in. “Looking for a Seppie base, remember?” “I remember,” Jesse said, nudging Fives with his elbow, “Just like I remember you leaping at the chance to go exploring.”

“That was before I knew that ‘exploring’ just meant wandering down a straight path,” Fives shot back.

Ordinarily, Rex would have scolded Fives for his tone, but as it was, it had been less than a month since he’d lost his ori’vod, Echo, so he cut him some slack. Gesturing with his pistol, he ushered the other two troopers down the canyon, scanning the walls as he did.

It was only because of that that he noticed the small crack in the wall, just large enough for someone to squeeze through. “Fives, Jesse,” he called, drawing their attention before carefully making his way through the crack.

As the other two followed, he took the opportunity to look around the tunnel the crack had led into. It didn’t look naturally created, the walls rough and uneven in a way that made him think it had been carved out by the local fauna, but the ceilings were tall, stretching above his head and making him feel small. Some sort of bioluminescent fungus grew on the walls, giving the place a dim lighting. Squaring his shoulders, he flicked on his headlamp anyway, not wanting to stumble over anything in the low light.

Fives and Jesse managed to get into the tunnel behind him, and Rex gestured for them to start making their way through the cave. Rex led the way, the others’ headlamps bouncing off the walls as they looked around.

The tunnel meandered for some distance. Right as Rex was about to call a halt so he could finally get the stupid rock out of his boot, they rounded a corner and Rex sucked in a breath. In the middle of the small cavern they found themselves in was what looked like an altar of some sort, lit by sunlight filtering through an overgrown hole in the ceiling.

Floating above the table was something Rex had only seen once before. Jesse seemed to recognize it as well, as he straightened. “Is that a Jedi holocron, sir?”

“It looks like.” Rex glanced around the chamber, noting some smashed pottery in the corners and faded flecks of paint on the walls. “This looks Jedi enough, must have been a meditation spot or something.”

“Should we comm the general, sir?” Fives asked, looking worried. He hadn’t been with the 501st during the original Jedi holocron incident, but he’d heard stories, and Rex thought he was right to be afraid. Force only knew what the Seppies could have done with this if they’d learned it was here.

Rex nodded. “Might as well try. I’ve no clue if the signal will get out, but with the hole in the ceiling, it’s worth a shot.”

Fives nodded and stepped forward, activating his comm. “This is ARC trooper Fives, calling forward camp. Do you read me?” Static over the line, and Fives cursed before trying again.

This time, someone answered. “Fives, we read you,” General Skywalker’s voice sounded tinny and was layered with static, but it was there. “What’s the situation?”

“We’ve, uh, discovered a Jedi artifact in a cave, sir.”

Skywalker sounded surprised. “A what? Nevermind, how do you know it’s Jedi?”

“Well, it’s floating in midair, sir, and I’m not detecting any magnetic field holding it up,” Fives said, a hint of sass in his voice, and Rex, removing his helmet, shot him a look.

It didn’t sound like Skywalker minded. “Okay, okay. Does it look dangerous?”

“No, sir. It’s just floating there.”

Jesse made to touch it, and Rex grabbed his arm, holding him back. “Not till the general says to,” he said in an undertone, and Jesse nodded.

“Bring it back to base,” Skywalker was saying, “But be careful. There’s no telling how long it’s been there, and what defenses it could have. I don’t want you boys getting buried if the cave collapses.”

“Copy that, sir. Fives out.” Fives cut the connection and turned to Rex. “Well, sir, I think it’d be best we got out of here.”

Rex nodded, then reached out. What happened next happened in a blur. His fingertips brushed the holocron, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up, right before pain like he’d never known ripped through him. He was vaguely aware that he screamed, but he wasn’t aware enough to stop himself. Lightning was ripping his cells apart, searing his DNA, and stitching the cells back together.

He heard more than saw the holocron drop and the boys run forward. The next thing he knew, Jesse’s familiar helmet was in his face, and his frantic voice was calling for Rex to respond, but before Rex could open his mouth, a fog rapidly crawled into his vision, thickening before finally everything went black.

The defective one

He heard them. Speaking about one of his many little brothers. They were discussing about the usefulness to keep him alive despite his default.

- It’s not like the other ones. Kill it.

- Except for the hair, it’s fine.

- We will have to sell it twice cheaper. It’s a waste of money.

- It doesn’t fit the specifications. Kill it. 

CC-2224 stopped listening to this atrocious conversation and made a decision. He has to save this little boy, crying out loud in the general indifference. The “long-necks” were like that, ignoring the pain and the emotions of their creatures. In their gigantic black eyes, clones were just nothing more than a source of money provided that the army they were creating was perfect. And all the excuses were good to suppress the young ones who were not exactly the way they wanted: too little, too skinny, too pale, too slow… What about this one?

CC-2224 didn’t care. He just wanted to save this one from their claws. Taking advantage of one of the Kaminoans stepping away from the table, he ran to it and caught the tiny arm. Not paying attention of the orders falling from their mouth, he took the young boy in his arms. He was heavier than he thought but he didn’t drop him and ran backward, escaping their long fingers. Then he hid behind some machinery, ordering his brother to keep quiet. Luckily, the tiny boy was so fascinated by his big brother that he remained silent all the time they stayed hidden. Even when he started to pat his face with a surprisingly high strenght. 

- What’s up with the little frog? asked CT-3636 when he finally arrived into their secret place. 

Him and his brothers hid there when they didn’t want to study, like this day.

- They wanted to kill him. 

CT-3636 rolled his eyes over the sky. He heard this sentence too many times before. 

- And for what? Just some blond hair, he sighed while sitting down to release the little one. 

Actually, CC-2224 was quite amazed by the color of his brother hair. They were so light that they seem to be translucent here and there. The contrast with his dark skin was impressive. 

- Hello, there, said CT-5052, crouching to be closed enough to the new comer. 

The baby looked at him with the same fascinated gaze as he has for him times ago. CC-2224 supposed he has never seen clones before - not grown-ups like them, actually. CT-5052 nicelly booped his tiny nose with his finger to reassure him, but CT-3636 pushed him away and raised his fist in front of his little face. 

- He’s too young for this, underligned CC-2224. He won’t understand. 

- That’s what you say, snapped CT-3636. Come on, bro! Show me who’s the man here!  

The big amber eyes widened as much as the snarly smile of CT-3636 stretched on his round face. 

***

I don’t know again if it’s accurate or not and I don’t care. I just wanted to draw a tiny Rex with a big brother Cody. And I don’t want to hear about “dyed hair” or something. For me, Rex is a natural blond baby mutant (what? We’ve got clones with blue eyes, it’s necesseraly a mutation. Why not hair color mutation?). Remember, I love contrast so blond hair with dark skin is just perfect for me. :D

Bly looks older on this drawing but he’s not (it’s just that I can’t draw him well). ^^; 

Even if it’s not obvious with the last drawings I’ve made, I’m more a sketcher than a colored finished pieces drawer (and I’m more a writer than a drawer anyway). But, clones seem to motivate me enough to push me to make some effort. Enjoy. For now.  

(Sorry for the mistakes again, French speaker is in da place! /o/)

Summary: A few weeks before Kenobi was due to arrive on Kamino in the original timeline, the clones wake up with memories of their lives up to their deaths. Rex stays strong for his brothers— he has to. But who will stay strong for him?

Snippet: When Rex opened his eyes, he felt numb. He thought he was dreaming, at first, because he was back in his pod on Kamino. He hadn’t been there in decades, but occasionally he’d dream about being with his brothers again. He’d eventually wake up, though, and remember that they were all dead and he was alone. Huffing, Rex rolled onto his side and hoped he would wake up for real soon.

———

I’ve had this written for awhile and finally decided to post it! I hope you all enjoy!

For the bad things happen bingo, I Will Punish You For Your Friend's Failure, with Obi Wan and Rex during the Zygeria arc with Rex being punished by the slavers.

Oooooh, happy evil brain twinkles.

TW for blood, child death, and mildly graphic torture. No specifics because spoilers but do be cautious.

•••

There is an enemy, and it is within, the Jedi taught.

You will encounter foes of all forms in your years as a Jedi. There will be cruel tyrants and selfish politicians, ruthless criminals and violent terrorists. Possessive lovers, radical reformists, slavers and desperate people willing to do whatever it takes to achieve what matters to them. And then the next thing, and the next.

But these are not the enemy.

The Jedi have only two natural enemies.

The Sith have been extinguished from the galaxy, lost to ruin. What the Jedi did not destroy, the Sith themselves did, locked in the raw emotion of the Dark Side, turning on one another.

And the Jedi are left with the true enemy.

You are the enemy, the Masters warned. Your weaknesses are your real enemy.

All obstacles can be overcome as long as you master yourself.

Fear will lead you astray. Push through it.

Anger will corrupt you. Abandon it.

Envy will poison you. Purge it.

Grief will break you. Overcome it.

And if you fall, you will fall as yourself, at peace. A true Jedi perishes for the right reasons, where not even self-possession could stop the sheer numbers of the opposition.

The enemy is within.

•

Obi-Wan Kenobi took a deep, steadying breath. The enemy is within, he reminded himself. My fear is the enemy. These people cannot destroy me.

The broken wrist, clumsily bandaged and still forced to work, whispers that otherwise. The bruises along his spine groan in misery. There was a cut on his upper lip that had bled and dried in his beard and lips. Someone had driven the handle of a whip into the muscles of his left leg, and it could not bear his weight.

He opened his eyes just in time to receive a stunning blow across the face.

Despite the fancies of holodramas, a strike to the face is nothing to brush aside.

The Jedi reeled, his head exploding, his face stinging. White light erupted behind his eyes and his nose burned as if he’d dived too deep into water.

“Who is your Master?” a voice demanded.

Obi-Wan blinked rapidly, gasping for air. His entire head throbbed; he was on his knees but his back had arched back so far his head was a foot from the floor. Wincing, he dragged himself back up and stared passively into the snarling Zyggerian’s eyes. “I am.”

A roar of discontent. “Wrong!”

The hand came back, but this time it closed around his throat.

•

Qui-Gon caught him by the shoulders, one hand moving upwards to press against the side of his Padawan’s neck.

“You are stronger than your fear,” he said. “Because your fear is only part of you. Your strengths outnumber your fear, Obi-Wan.”

Behind the boy’s young eyes, though - flashes of remembered horror, children dead in the streets of Melida/Daan and the screaming sound a blaster bolt made as it grazed close, so close, to his ear - and hit another boy instead —

Obi-Wan gasped as if drowning, his mind convinced that he was not getting enough oxygen.

Fear was going to kill him.

Fear was the enemy.

“Oh, Padawan,” sighed his Master. And then the hands left his neck and his shoulder, leaving Obi-Wan bereft, plunged into ice cold waters of terror and trauma, his failures haunting him like the ghost of Cerasi.

•

Obi-Wan choked, bucking involuntarily as the meaty hand clenched around his throat, crushing his air pipe.

He couldn’t breathe.

Still. What did it matter, if this monstrous slaver killed him in a fit of rage? Obi-Wan was more than this man and his pride, his greed, his disregard for life.

Obi-Wan was a Jedi.

His body’s automatic response to being abused and killed was nothing.

He was more than his fear.

“Damn Jedi!”

The hand released him, and the red-haired General slumped to the floor, unable to stop his forehead from colliding painfully with the uneven slag flooring. More blood. He tasted it in his mouth, he felt it dripping down his forehead.

“Very well,” the same voice continued. “The punishment must suit the prisoner, in some cases. How lucky of you. So special.”

They cannot hurt me, Obi-Wan reminded himself. My body is not my soul. I am more than my fear.

And then two more slavers entered the room at a summons, dragging a struggling figure between them.

Rex.

Obi-Wan’s fear spiked so sharply he felt his chest stab with physical pain.

No, he told himself. No. Fight it. Fight it—

The Zyggerian behind him sensed his rising emotion and grabbed him roughly, one hand on the thick collar around the Jedi’s throat, and the other dug painfully into his hair.

•

Obi-Wan shuddered.

A bomb - Twela, Bruin, Conno, Toorun, and others went flying, flailing helplessly in the air.

Toorun rolled on his side and got back up.

Conno collided with a vehicle and lay still.

Bruin landed on his feet and stood up, grinning in shocked relief, and then dropped with a bullet in his head. Blood spattered stone.

Twela landed on a pile of rubble.

When Obi-Wan found her, she had been lying there for an hour while the battle wore on, a rebar shoved through her stomach.

It took her two days to die—

Cerasi, falling into his arms. Gasping. Blood everywhere. Her father screaming. Blood on Obi-Wan’s hands—

Nield, his friend, telling him he didn’t belong - kicking him out of the camp to die alone - blaming Obi-Wan, rightfully, for the death of Cerasi and the peace she had helped create—

But as quickly as they had been taken away, the warm and solid hands of Qui-Gon Jinn were there again, this time on his back. Pulling him. Tightening around him.

Obi-Wan blinked rapidly, gasping and shaking, pressed into a warm embrace while his Master rocked him gently, whispering encouragement into his hair.

It was good to be held.

•

Obi-Wan twisted, struggling in near-panic to get away from the arms restraining him.

“Stop it!” he yelled. “Stop!”

They did not stop.

The Zyggerians had been on Rex for over two hours, holding him down, methodically slicing the soles of his feet, throwing their fists into his abdomen and face and throat, slamming his head against the unforgiving ground.

The Captain was a mess; bruised and bloodied, involuntary tears making his damaged face glisten.

Rex had finally started to scream five minutes ago, and still they would not stop—

“Stop! You’ll kill him!” Obi-Wan shouted, his bound hands clenched so tightly that his palms were torn and bleeding. “Stop!”

“And now the bird sings,” the slave master crowed, laughing down at him. “So high and mighty, Jedi?”

“Leave him alone!” Obi-Wan demanded.

The slaver’s face darkened.

Two things happened at almost the same moment.

A knife was drawn from seemingly thin air and without hesitation or fanfare was plunged into Rex’s thigh; the Captain screamed again, writhing.

A button was pressed, and the collar around Obi-Wan’s neck blazed with electricity that made him convulse, blinded, agonized.

“You don’t give the orders here,” the master snarled. “Haven’t you learned? You’re not in control here!”

•

“You are in control, Padawan,” Qui-Gon murmured, rubbing his hand up and down the boy’s back, following the still too-prominent line of his spine. Up and down, up and down.

“I’m not,” Obi-Wan sobbed. “I’m a failure.”

“You haven’t failed until you’ve let yourself down and decided not to get up again,” his Master replied firmly. “You are master of yourself, Obi-Wan, and therefore master of the situation. You can rise above. Even if you need help to do it. You are not a slave to fear.”

•

“Slaves are not masters,” the Zyggerian bellowed, and Rex screamed again.

Obi-Wan shuddered and twitched on the floor; he felt filthy, ragged, used. Now useless.

“You don’t make the rules!” A kick to the abdomen that deprived him of air. Once again suffocating. Drowning.

All he could see was the bloodstained floor. All he could hear was the voice, and Rex screaming through gritted teeth.

“Every time you cross me, I’ll punish your freakish friend. And anyone else that crosses your path. I! Am! In! Control! Here!” Each of the final words was delivered with a sharp jerk on the chain that had been attached to the collar.

Obi-Wan choked and wheezed.

Pain.

Terror.

Helpless.

I can’t —

“Who is your Master?”

“You are,” Obi-Wan told Fear, eyes glazed, blood spattered across his vision. Maybe permanently. Like a brand. Like Cerasi’s lifeblood on his shaking hands.

“Who is your Master?” the slaver asked again.

Obi-Wan stared vacantly upwards.

Fear looked back at him. Outside him. Inside him. Triumphant.

“You are,” whispered the Jedi, and his eyes rolled back in his head.

He slumped to the floor.

Rex’s screams faded as the punishment abruptly ceased; the Clone lay on the stone floor, limp and in terrible pain, staring with abject fear in his eyes at the fallen Jedi.

His utter relief that the pain was over, that they had taken their hideous hands off of him, was warring with his worry.

And his growing terror.

If even General Kenobi could be controlled...

“A good start,” the slave master said thoughtfully, trodding deliberately on Obi-Wan’s damaged foot. “And I was told Jedi did not feel fear.”

•••

“ c'mere. let me give you a hug. “ with Kix and Rex maybe, please?

Thanks for asking, anon! The ending references my fic Golden Heart because I can’t resist an opportunity to reference it :)

——————

Kix stood outside Rex’s quarters, staring at the door as though it had done something to offend him. He was hesitant to knock on the door, and he’d never been hesitant before, but…

But, after Umbara, Kix was hesitant to approach anyone, especially Rex.

Umbara took a toll on everyone. Kix could see it in the way everyone held themselves. Their energies were slightly subdued. Tup seemed lost with Dogma gone, and Fives had taken to the young trooper pretty quickly. Fives liked to help people in order to distract himself from his own problems and, well, there were worse coping mechanisms out there. Kix would have to talk to him at some point to make sure he was actually addressing his own issues.

Jesse had taken things hard, too. Losing Hardcase was rough on both Jesse and Kix because he was their batchmate. They were working through their grief together, and it would be a long process, but at least they weren’t alone.

Shaking himself out of his musings, Kix thought back to the matter at hand. He was standing outside of Rex’s door, fist hovering just a few inches away from knocking. He knew that Rex was also struggling with his own guilt for everything that happened in Umbara. Kix thought he could help.

Kix remembered with great clarity the moment that he snapped at Rex and accused him of acting like General Krell when Rex ordered him to leave the injured behind.

The guilt of that interaction was hanging like an albatross around Kix’s neck. Looking back on it, he realized that Rex had been put in an impossible situation where he had to mediate between his men, his brothers, and a leader whose entire goal was to get them killed. Rex was right, too— Kix had to survive and carry on because if he wasn’t alright, then there would‘ve been no one else to take care of other injured brothers.

Kix knew he had to apologize for his outburst, both for his own ease of mind and for Rex’s. Still, he hesitated, and was about to turn on his heel and come back another time when the door to Rex’s quarters slid open, and the captain himself stood in the doorway. He jumped a bit upon seeing Kix there, obviously not having been aware of his presence just beyond his walls.

“Sir,” Kix said, slowly lowering his fist from where it was poised to knock on the door, “may I have a word with you?”

Rex furrowed his brows together but nodded and gestured to have Kix enter his quarters.

The room was in disarray. Rex’s armor was skewed about the room in a disorderly fashion, which was uncharacteristic for his usual organized room. There were datapads strewn about the floor as well, all incomplete paperwork that had to be filled out in the aftermath of a battle.

Kix didn’t comment on any of this, and instead stood in the corner of the room, looking at his feet and fiddling with the sleeve of his body glove.

There was silence between the pair for a few moments. Rex sat himself on his unmade bed and regarded Kix with a blank expression, not that Kix noticed his gaze, as focused on the ground as he was.

Finally, Kix took a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry.” He was startled, then, upon realizing that Rex had said the same thing in sync with him.

“Sir? What do you have to apologize for?” Kix asked.

“The… the campaign as a whole. I let you all down, and you had to bear the brunt of so many unfair situations. I never should ordered you to leave those men behind. That’s not what we’re trained to do, and I asked you to do it anyway. So, I’m sorry.” Rex explained, now looking at the ground instead of at Kix.

Kix scoffed, “Sir, Rex, I don’t blame you for that. I’m sorry for comparing you to General Krell in that moment. You are nothing like him, and I just said that because I was tired and frustrated. I know you were put in a ridiculously tough scenario and… it’s been weighing on you as much as it’s been weighing on me, maybe even more.”

Rex just sniffed and nodded slowly. He glanced at Kix and let a slight smile grace his face, “C’mere. Let me give you a hug.” He said, holding out his arm as an invitation.

Kix sighed dramatically and sat down on the bed next to Rex, leaning into and returning his older brother’s embrace.

“You’re never going to let me forget that I gave you a hug when I was still in medic training, are you?” Kix said with a sigh.

Rex laughed, “Oh, definitely not. But, hey, I think this hug is helping, so maybe the research you did back then wasn’t all for nothing.”

“Damn straight.” Kix said with a huff. Rex let out a laugh at that, and Kix allowed himself a chuckle, too.

Umbara left wounds on them all, but… they would heal with time (and maybe a few hugs, too).

Fic Masterlist

This is so that they’re all in one place on tumblr! These aren’t in any particular order other than the one that I thought of them in as I was writing out the titles in this post. The links and summaries are below the cut! I hope this is helpful! As I write more, I’ll be sure to keep this updated.

Multi-Chapter Fics:

What Died Didn’t Stay Dead — The 501st suffered a devastating blow on Umbara with the loss of Captain Rex at the hands of Pong Krell.

Rex doesn’t understand why he’s still around after having died, but he realizes that he might be able to use this to the advantage of all of his brothers.

Or: Rex is a ghost, and he’s just as confused about it as everyone else is.

Mars AU — A role-reversal AU in which Rex gets caught in the explosion at the Citadel and is experimented on by the Techno Union, and Echo is promoted to Captain of the 501st. This series explores what would be different and what would stay the same.

Losing Track (of What We’re Fighting For) — the first installment, which spans from Rex’s rescue through Order 66

Cool Clone Commanders (+ a Slightly Less Cool Captain) — A series of missing scenes and brotherly shenanigans during Losing Track (of What We’re Fighting For)

Brand New War Begins — Order 66 has been executed and the galaxy is in shambles. In an attempt to pick up some of the pieces, Rex and Echo split into groups on missions to save those who may have survived. Meanwhile, two lost souls run into each other and the future of the galaxy is drastically changed as a result.

One Shots:

Golden Heart — Kix has always wanted to help his brothers; that’s why he’s always wanted to be a medic. One day, when he’s first starting his medical training, he helps a blond cadet with a concussion. Years later, after the war has begun, history repeats itself.

A Bit of Tin — Echo notices a familiar medal on display in the Bad Batch’s ship and asks them about it. It leads to a conversation about their old batchmates.

When You Let it Leave, it Can’t Hurt You — The Bad Batchers find a holopic in their barracks when they return to Kamino after a mission. It holds nothing but bittersweet and painful memories for Echo, but he eventually learns that just because it hurts doesn’t mean he should forget.

Promotion — When Anakin Skywalker is Knighted, Rex is given a promotion as well, much to his surprise.

Homecoming — After the Clone War ended with the reveal of Chancellor Palpatine as a Sith Lord, Fives and Echo get the reunion that they deserved all along. The rest of Domino Squad joins in on the fun.

Comfort — Kix has been awake for nearly 24 hours trying to save as many brothers as he could. A breakdown was inevitable. Luckily, Echo is really great at comforting brothers who are hurting.

Tackling Grievous — Cody tackles Grievous yet again, and Rex comms him to give him a piece of his mind. Obi-Wan’s enjoying this far too much for his own good.

Keep Your Eyes Open — Cody gets a concussion during a battle, but luckily Rex is there to make sure he stays awake.

I Know You — “This is not who you are. I know you better than that.”

Anakin says these words to Ahsoka on Mortis. Years later, Ahsoka says them to Anakin on Malachor.

What’s in a Name — Fives has been in ARC training for 2 weeks when he runs into Clone Force 99, who are preparing to ship out of Kamino for their first mission.

Or: Fives meets Clone Force 99 and accidentally gives them their other name.

Where I Confess My Doubt — A supply run takes Ghost Crew to Umbara. Everyone’s worried about Rex.

A Great Man — To Rex, Fives was a great man, and great men deserve to be remembered. *Ao3 link here*

The One Left Behind — In which Death watches a particular clone captain repeatedly lose, and still continue to fight.

Only Time Will Tell — The clones wake up with memories of their lives up to their deaths only a few weeks before Kenobi was due to arrive on Kamino in the original timeline. Rex stays strong for his brothers— he has to. But who will stay strong for him? *will likely end up being a series of oneshots*

Snoozeville with rex maybe?

I’ve never written for Rebels Era Rex and I thought that I might give it a try. I hope you don’t mind! Rexsoka shippers DNI, this is purely platonic.

Snoozeville— character falls asleep somewhere that isn’t their bed

Rex was sitting in the common room of the Ghost after a supply run. Surprisingly enough, this one had actually gone off without a hitch (most likely because Ahsoka had decided to come with them for whatever reason), and they were able to get in and out of the planet quickly. Said planet, however, had been rather cold and damp and that did not make for a good experience.

Rex was well aware of the fact that he’d come down with a cold after being on that planet, if the pressure in his head and the incessant runny nose that was plaguing him were any indication. He really didn’t want to admit that he was sick, though, because he was a clone who had been raised on a planet where it was cold and wet constantly, but he wasn’t as young as he used to be and his immune system had permanently been compromised by the Blue Shadow Virus. However, he’d mellowed down since his days as a hot-headed captain and would admit his illness if anyone came and asked him outright… if not, then he’d go about his business like nothing happened.

He sighed to himself, as no one was in the common room with him, the rest of them elsewhere in the ship. He forced himself to keep his eyes open. It was the middle of the day cycle, according to the chrono on the wall, and he refused to go to sleep any earlier than necessary, no matter how tempting a nap was at the moment. He knew it would probably make him feel better, but… he didn’t want to admit it. He supposed some part of him was still that stubborn captain.

Ahsoka made her way into the room and slid onto the bench next to him, regarding him carefully.

“Rexter, you aren’t looking too hot,” she stated bluntly.

“Yeah, must’ve caught a cold on that planet,” Rex replied, sniffling as if to prove his point. He grimaced at the pressure in his head and sighed yet again.

“Wow, you’re openly admitting you’re sick? Because I distinctly remember multiple occasions where you refused to admit you were sick and then made yourself sicker as a result,” Ahsoka said, lifting a brow marking at him.

“Yeah, well, maybe I’ve gone soft in my old age,” Rex said, rolling his eyes at her as she giggled. He then yawned and suppressed an involuntary shiver as he felt a fever taking hold.

Ahsoka immediately grew concerned, “Oh, let me go get you some medicine and a blanket, and you can take a nap right here if you want to!”

Rex shook his head vehemently, “No, I don’t want to go to sleep right now. It’s the middle of the day.”

“So? Naps are one of the best things that have ever been invented. I used to nap all the time when I was a Padawan,” Ahsoka said, moving to stand up.

“Well, we clones were engineered to not need naps. I shouldn’t need one. I can last without one,” Rex said stubbornly, refusing to make eye contact with her.

Ahsoka sighed and settled back into her seat, laying a reassuring hand on Rex’s shoulder, “Rex, that may have been true when you were younger, but like it or not, you’ve aged a little and things like recovering from sickness are going to take a little more effort.”

Rex frowned and stared at the table in front of them. Ahsoka looked like she was going to say more, but Rex ruined the moment with a loud sneeze.

Ahsoka chuckled warmly, “At least let me get you some medicine and a blanket. You don’t have to fall asleep if you don’t want to.” Rex nodded. Ahsoka patted his shoulder and got up to get the supplies.

She returned only a few minutes later with medicine, a bottle of water, and a blanket, just as promised. After ensuring Rex took the medicine she provided him with, she sat down next to him and handed him the blanket, which he begrudgingly wrapped around himself.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, only interrupted by Rex’s occasional sniffle or stifled cough.

Ahsoka regarded him carefully in that time, and Rex was all too aware of her gaze on him.

“What?” He asked defensively.

“What’s really bothering you, Rex?” Ahsoka asked.

Rex frowned and shook his head, “It’s just… Ahsoka, I’m younger than you. I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t have gray hair already and wake up with every single one of my joints aching. I shouldn’t fall sick so easily and it shouldn’t take so much for me to get back on my feet.”

“Oh, Rex,” Ahsoka said, gently shushing him, “I know. It’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not,” Rex agreed, leaning against Ahsoka and closing his eyes, “Why did I have to be one of the last clones? All by myself?”

“I don’t know, Rex, but I do know that I and everyone on this ship are glad to have you by our sides, aged or not. And you’re not alone, Rex. You have me and you always will,” Ahsoka replied, adjusting the way that she was sitting so that Rex could be more comfortable.

Rex grumbled but didn’t respond, the lure of sleep calling his name. He fell asleep sitting in that exact position, head resting on Ahsoka’s shoulder. Ahsoka put a comforting arm around his shoulders and sighed, raging at the universe that had been so cruel to clones and had cast them such an unlucky lot at life. Truly, she didn’t know whether Rex was lucky or unlucky to live as long as he had, and she wasn’t sure that either of them wanted to know the answer to that.

Some of the other Ghost crew members wandered in at different points, but they were all shushed pretty quickly upon seeing Rex resting on Ahsoka as he was (her fierce glare towards Ezra when he’d been about to yell at Zeb had certainly helped things, as well). Eventually, she fell asleep in her seat as well, sitting with her fellow survivor and brother.